A/N Thank you for reading the past chapters, here's another one and please leave a review, 'kay?

Bittersweet Love Story

"She's like a bitter sweet fruit that he can't pick yet until it has ripened…"

Chapter Four

Guilty Feelings

The first day of the tournament ended and the Hyoutei girls' tennis club won their two matches. They had easily defeated the opponents. Hikari was really tired, she rested for a while and told the servants to call her up when it's dinner time.

She fell asleep and she was awaken by her personal servant and told her that dinner is already served. "Is okaa-sama already home?" she asked.

The girl shook her head. "Misa-sama has not yet arrived ojou-sama."

Since the day that her father died because of a car accident three years ago her mother became so busy with managing their bakeshop. They had numerous branches all over the country because of her father's hardword and her mother seems to be pressured to keep the business running and to make it even more successful.

There are days that she don't even saw her mother, most of the time she was eating alone in the dining hall. She was sad but what makes her more sad is the fact that she got used to it. Her parents were not born rich, they were just ordinary people with big dreams especially her father who just dreamed to have his own bakeshop...which he achieved and now it became famous. Though she still have her mother, she still feels alone but she understands her, she just wanted to continue her fathers dream.

When she entered the dining hall, she saw Marui sittng already and waiting for her. "Konbanwa."

She did not greet him back; she just sit there and waited for the food to be served.

They started eating. Marui was silent and she don't know why he was like that. Marui was always energetic and always talk to her though she was, most of the time, ignoring him.

Well, that's want she wanted right? She doesn't want to talk to him but why is she sad that he was giving her cold treatment. Does he want her to feel the feeling of being ignored?

She lost her appetite and stood up. She storm out of the dinning room with a heavy heart.

Damn she felt guilty!

The National tournament ended. The Hyoutei girls' team did not make it to the championship. Their team was defeated by Seigaku in the qualifying games for the semi-finals. They were sad but they did their best and what important is that they enjoyed every minute of the tournament. The Rikkaidai boys' tennis team was also defeated by the Seigaku but they make it the finals.

Hikari secretly took a sideway glance at Marui who was busy eating the cake that he baked. She was reading a magazine, well she was only pretending to read, she just wanted to observe Marui secretly. They were in the garden, but they were not talking at all...she will never ever initiate a conversation with him. She have to admit that she missed him, oh she missed his talkativeness.

Marui looked up and smiled at her. She looked away and focused her eyes on the magazine. "Do you want some, Hikari-chan?" She heard him spoke to her. At last he talked to her.

"No thanks, that cake have lots of calories, it will only make me gain weight." She said without looking at him, eyes still focus on the magazine that she's pretending to read.

"I remembered that this was your favorite; black forest. Your otou-sama was the one who taught me to bake."

Yes, she remembered that her otou-sama was the one who taught Marui how to bake. She never had an interest to learn how to bake, she just love eating the cake and pastries that her father and Marui baked. He was right that black forest was her favorite and it is still her favorite. He still remembers it.

Ever since her father died she doesn't eat cake often. She still eats cake and pastries but not as often as before. It's as if her tongue was just longing to eat the kind of cake that her father used to bake. She knew that his father shared his recipe with Marui and the taste for the cake that she was longing can be made by Marui.

"Okay, it's been a while since the last time I ate cake so I think it's alright to eat some."

He smiled at her and gave her a slice. She started eating the cake and she was not wrong, the cake that Marui baked has the same taste as her father's cake. She suddenly remembered her father. She missed him so much. Her eyes were teary now but she continue eating the cake until the last bite.

"You remembered your father, right?" He asked her while looking at her intently.

"Thanks for the cake but it does not mean that you can interfere with my life just because of that." She stood up and left him.

Marui was glad that Hikari ate the cake that he baked. He really baked it for her but he did not offer it to her right away. He wanted to talk to him first but it never happened. He was hurt when she shouted to everyone that he was just someone she knows. Just someone she knows. She really has forgotten their friendship and it was because of what he did to her when they were younger. If he only knew that this will happen, he should not have done that.

Hikari has always been special to him. She was the only special girl in his life next to her okaa-san. That was why he was really hurt when he heard that she does not consider him as a friend. Niou told him to make her feel the feeling of being ignored. He told him that he should not talk to her and make her initiate a conversation with him and then she will realize that she needed him as a friend. But it was a sloppy plan. Hikari never initiated a conversation with him. Although most of the time their parents were always out for business, she never ever initiated to talk to him.

After eating the cake, Hikari left him alone in the garden. He deeply sighed and decided to call Niou.

After a few rings Niou answered. "What's up?"

"Your plan was not good at all, I haven't talked to her for the past few days but she never opened a conversation with me." He said and he sighed deeply. "What am I gonna do to that girl?"

"Let's make another plan."

"Just make sure about that plan Niou, I really wanted her to talk to me and notice me."

"And eventually make her fall in love with you."

"And eventually make her fall in love-" He snapped. "Hey it's not what I wanted!" Marui shouted at the phone.

Niou laughed in the other line. "You are just in denial."

"No I'm not!" he insisted.

"Whatever."

"Are you gonna help me or not?"

"I will!"

"So what's the plan?"

"Listen very well Marui…" Niou started telling him his plan...

It was Sunday morning. Hikari wanted to sleep more but she can't. It was so noisy outside. She supposed that the loud sound was coming from the garden. Was that a bark of a dog?

She stood up and went to the veranda overlooking the garden. There, she saw Marui playing with a huge dog. Marui was lying on the grass while the huge dog was straddling him licking his face. Gross! That dog was a Saint Bernard, a really huge dog. She hated dogs. When she was only seven years old, a dog run after her and was about to bite her but Marui saved her. She was so afraid but Marui tamed that dog. He laughed at her during that time and he said that that dog was a good dog. He said that the dog run after her because she stepped on his tail. Well, it was true that she stepped on that dog's tail but it was an accident. Since that day, she hated dogs and never wanted to touch any of them.

Hikari march outside. She will confront Marui. How dare him to bring a disgusting specie inside her house!

"Marui!" She shouted. He looked up at her, he was still lying on the grass with his dog still licking his face. Really gross! "How dare you bring that thing inside my property!" She shouted. The huge dog barked at her.

She stepped back. She was really disgusted with dogs!

Marui stood up and touched the dogs head. "Easy, don't bark at the pretty owner of this house." The dog wagged his tail, as if he understood what Marui said. He turned to her. "Aunt Misa already gave me permission to make Hikari stay with me here."

"Hikari?"

"My dog." He stroked the dog's fur.

Now, she was really angry! "How dare you give that dog the same name as mine!" she shouted at him.

He laughed. "The human Hikari does not want to talk to me so I decided to buy this dog, I was not the one who gave her name, her breeder gave her that name."

"I want you to change that thing's name! Now!"

"I can't. She will be confused. Right Hikari?" The dog answered with a bark.

She was really furious now. She bet that her face was so red because of so much fury.

"Ahhh! I hate you!" she stomped on the ground hard as she walked inside the house. I hate that guy! And I hate that dog!

Marui laughed so loudly. He thought that Hikari looked prettier when mad. Her face was red and her eyes were very sharp. Her cat-like brown eyes looked really beautiful when she looked at him like that. He smiled dreamily. Doggy Hikari licked his cheeks again. He knew that Hikari hated dogs but he love dogs. When he asked the permission of Aunt Misa for the doggy Hikari to stay, she agreed without hesitation. Aunt Misa knew that Hikari hated dogs and she told him that it was a good idea for a dog to stay at their house so that her daughter will learn to love dogs.

He bought the dog yesterday and it was not true that the dog's name was Hikari. Actually it's name was Taki. He just told Hikari that the dog's name is the same as hers just to piss her. It was his plan to piss her. Well, actually it was Niou's plan. The plan was to piss Hikari to make her talk to him and stop ignoring him. He knew the things that Hikari hate and he will do those to gain Hikari's attention. He was really desperate to catch her attention that he even agreed to do that lame plan of Niou.

He stood up and held Taki's collar. "Come on now, it's time for your breakfast." The dog barked enthusiastically.

He just wished that this time their plan will work.